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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but my primary
publisher has gone out of business—they couldn’t succeed in the past business
and publishing environment. I'll keep you informed, but I need a new publisher. More
information can be found at www.ancientlight.com. Check out my novels--I think you'll really enjoy
them.

Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon.
This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in
installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in
addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel
was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and
tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this
blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.

I'm using this novel as an example
of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll
keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, visit my
writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production
schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

The four plus one basic rules I
employ when writing:

1. Don't confuse your readers.

2. Entertain your readers.

3. Ground your readers in the
writing.

4. Don't show (or tell) everything.

4a. Show what can be seen, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted on the stage
of the novel.

5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.

These are the steps I use to write a
novel including the five discrete parts of a novel:

Here is the cover proposal for Blue
Rose: Enchantment and the Detective.

Cover
Proposal

The most important scene in any
novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising
action. I am continuing to write on my 30th novel, working
title Red Sonja. I finished my 29th novel, working
title Detective. I’m planning to start on number 31, working
title Shifter.

How to begin a novel. Number one thought, we need an entertaining
idea. I usually encapsulate such an idea
with a theme statement. Since I’m writing
a new novel, we need a new theme statement.
Here is an initial cut.

For novel 30: Red Sonja, a Soviet spy, infiltrates the
X-plane programs at Edwards AFB as a test pilot’s administrative clerk, learns
about freedom, and is redeemed.

For novel 31: TBD

Here
is the scene development outline:

1.
Scene input (comes from the previous scene output or is an initial scene)

4.
Write the scene using the output and creative elements to build the tension.

5.
Write the release

6.
Write the kicker

Today: The purpose of all
fiction is entertainment. The entertainment
is accomplished in large part by the suspension of disbelief. The suspension of disbelief is the ability of
the writer to provide an immersive environment that first of all, appears
completely rational and reasonable, and second of all, captures the reader in
that environment.

This
is a critical point. It isn’t enough to
design and populate a world that meets this criteria—the reader must be
enveloped by this world to the point that they would rather read then do almost
anything. The suspension of disbelief
means the world of the novel, for the time of the reading, becomes more real
that the real world of the reader.

If
you have not experienced this in your reading, you literally have no way to
become a writer. If you have never seen
this in a novel, there is no way you can pass this experience on to
others. This is also why otherwise
reasonably written fiction might seem or feel off—it does not achieve this
suspension of disbelief.

To
be fair, as a writer my discipline and my level of criticism has moved very
high. It takes a very well put together
novel to really envelop me in the writing.
On the other hand, I can read novels and other writing very quickly and yet
understand the positives and deficiencies.
Likewise, in my own writing, I can see where it doesn’t convey the
suspension of disbelief I desire, and that is exactly what I work for in
editing and rewriting.

In
fact, let’s look at editing. There are
effectively three levels of editing.
I’ve written about two most of the time I’ve written in this blog about
editing, but there is a third. The first
level of editing is what most writers unfortunately think and need—this is
basic grammar, spelling, and English skills.
This is not really editing—this is just proofreading. The next level of editing is truly
editing—this is where the reader is looking for rationality, reasonability, and
consistency in the writing. Does the
plot and theme fit together properly?
Are there holes in the plot and theme?
Are the characters consistent? Can
the plot be improved? This is true
editing.

The
third level of editing is for suspension of disbelief. This is the most difficult and the most
elusive level of writing. Many times
when proofing or editing another’s writing you will get the feeling that
something is off. If the writing is
especially poor that is in basic English, you will never be able to drop into
the suspension of disbelief. If you are
reading some sloppy or trite piece, even is well written, you will never
achieve a suspension of disbelief. In
many of the Victorian, pre Romanticism novels, I barely can get a suspension of
disbelief. In many if not most of the
1960 to 1980 avant garde science fiction no one can achieve a suspension of
disbelief. In no James Joyce novel can a
reasonable person find any suspension of disbelief.

If
you have no suspension of disbelief, you have little entertainment. You might as well be reading a technical
paper. So, this is the subject we should
embark on next—the suspension of disbelief.

Monday, July 30, 2018

30 July 2018, Writing - part x570,
Developing Skills, more Real Supernatural Research

Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but my primary
publisher has gone out of business—they couldn’t succeed in the past business
and publishing environment. I'll keep you informed, but I need a new publisher. More
information can be found at www.ancientlight.com. Check out my novels--I think you'll really enjoy
them.

Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon.
This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in
installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in
addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel
was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and
tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this
blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.

I'm using this novel as an example
of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll
keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, visit my
writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production
schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

The four plus one basic rules I
employ when writing:

1. Don't confuse your readers.

2. Entertain your readers.

3. Ground your readers in the
writing.

4. Don't show (or tell) everything.

4a. Show what can be seen, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted on the stage
of the novel.

5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.

These are the steps I use to write a
novel including the five discrete parts of a novel:

Here is the cover proposal for Blue
Rose: Enchantment and the Detective.

Cover
Proposal

The most important scene in any
novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising
action. I am continuing to write on my 30th novel, working
title Red Sonja. I finished my 29th novel, working
title Detective. I’m planning to start on number 31, working
title Shifter.

How to begin a novel. Number one thought, we need an entertaining
idea. I usually encapsulate such an idea
with a theme statement. Since I’m
writing a new novel, we need a new theme statement. Here is an initial cut.

For novel 30: Red Sonja, a Soviet spy, infiltrates the
X-plane programs at Edwards AFB as a test pilot’s administrative clerk, learns
about freedom, and is redeemed.

For novel 31: TBD

Here
is the scene development outline:

1.
Scene input (comes from the previous scene output or is an initial scene)

4.
Write the scene using the output and creative elements to build the tension.

5.
Write the release

6.
Write the kicker

Today: My goal is to
integrate the supernatural in my writing to the degree that the reader has a
suspension of disbelief and believes, at least in the context of the novel,
that the elements of the narrative are true.
However, this is what every author does in actuality.

No
fiction story or novel is true—the author provides a suspension of disbelief
such that the world and circumstances of the world appear true. Haven’t you noticed the novels that are
close, but not quite close enough to reality—some are really famous and have
been made into movies or are bestsellers.
Some of them don’t appeal to me because they are too far from reality or
even basic truth.

In
any case, in the most basic sense, an author takes a subject or a plot that is
not real and turns it into a novel that provides a suspension of
disbelief. In general, the success of
the novelist is dependent on how convincing this suspension of disbelief
is. As I noted, some writing does not
appeal to me at all because I am too knowledgeable about history and
science. When an author gets the history
or the science wrong, that completely ruins the novel for me. I’d rather read a Harry Potty novel where I
know the author made up an entirely different world or a novel like Dune where
the author provided a highly compelling future universe with all its didactic
elements. The point is the suspension of
disbelief.

This
is why in my writing, I get the science right and I get the history right. I additionally, get the supernatural
right. Or perhaps I should write, I get
the myth right.

Back
to my example, Aksinya: Enchantment and
the Demon. This novel is all about a
sorceress and a demon. The sorceress,
Aksinya happens to call the demon Asmodeus from the depths of hell. Many might conclude there are no demons or
even hell, but this isn’t the point.
First, the author must provide a suspension of disbelief, and second, to
help expand, sustain, and develop this suspension of disbelief, the author
needs a historical and literary basis for the mythic or semi-mythic elements in
the novel. And this means research.

To
write Aksinya, I read every source ancient
and modern I could find on Asmodeus, Tobit, and demons. I’ve written before, Aksinya is a semi-allegory of the Book of Tobit. The reason was that the Book of Tobit
introduces the demon Asmodeus and the angel Raphael into the vocabulary of the
Western world. Further, there is a small
library of ancient literature especially medieval literature dedicated to
Tobit, Asmodeua, and Raphael. This is
where the author can find information on these beings.

The
point isn’t to try to prove the existence of such creatures. It isn’t even to provide a source text. The point is to provide an entertaining novel
where the history is correct, the science is correct, and if the reader wants to
check, the myth structures and myth is correct.
After all myth is simply an element of the history of mankind from a
literary and cultural standpoint. Plus always
remember, the suspension of disbelief.

Sunday, July 29, 2018

Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but my primary
publisher has gone out of business—they couldn’t succeed in the past business
and publishing environment. I'll keep you informed, but I need a new publisher. More
information can be found at www.ancientlight.com. Check out my novels--I think you'll really enjoy
them.

Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon.
This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in
installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in
addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel
was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and
tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this
blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.

I'm using this novel as an example
of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll
keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, visit my
writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production
schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

The four plus one basic rules I
employ when writing:

1. Don't confuse your readers.

2. Entertain your readers.

3. Ground your readers in the
writing.

4. Don't show (or tell) everything.

4a. Show what can be seen, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted on the stage
of the novel.

5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.

These are the steps I use to write a
novel including the five discrete parts of a novel:

Here is the cover proposal for Blue
Rose: Enchantment and the Detective.

Cover
Proposal

The most important scene in any
novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising
action. I am continuing to write on my 30th novel, working
title Red Sonja. I finished my 29th novel, working
title Detective. I’m planning to start on number 31, working
title Shifter.

How to begin a novel. Number one thought, we need an entertaining
idea. I usually encapsulate such an idea
with a theme statement. Since I’m
writing a new novel, we need a new theme statement. Here is an initial cut.

For novel 30: Red Sonja, a Soviet spy, infiltrates the
X-plane programs at Edwards AFB as a test pilot’s administrative clerk, learns
about freedom, and is redeemed.

For novel 31: TBD

Here
is the scene development outline:

1.
Scene input (comes from the previous scene output or is an initial scene)

4.
Write the scene using the output and creative elements to build the tension.

5.
Write the release

6.
Write the kicker

Today: I noted yesterday,
there are two ways to approach the development of science fiction and fantasy
worlds. The first is kinda, must make it
up. I used Harry Potty and Dune as
examples. What I wanted you to note is
first, making it up on your own is hard and takes years of study and work. Second, it ain’t easy as Harry Potty
shows. Dune is cogent while Harry is not
very.

Plus,
there is a third point that drives directly into the second means of developing
a fantasy or science fiction universe—there must be some level of integration
with human society. John Brunner did
write one book completely about an alien culture, but to be understandable by
humans, all the concepts of the aliens had to be turned into human ideas and
concepts. Likewise, with building your
own universe, you have to integrate the whole into the human world.

Thus,
in Harry Potty, we have the background of modern Britain. In Dune, we have a projection of human
society thousands of years in the future.
The second means of developing the universe of your fantasy or science fiction
is to start with a human society.

Here’s
what I do. All my novels include some
degree of the supernatural. I research
the supernatural as understood in human cultures and society and I integrate it,
hopefully seamlessly, into the world of my novels. I start with the world we know and place in
it already known cultural and societal myths.
To do this requires extensive research.
As you might or might not know, myths have more than one version and focus. The job of the writer in research is to know
all the versions and to change the focus to the current work of the
author. This requires hours and hours of
study.

Usually,
my study comes at the beginning and during the writing of the work. I’ve noted in many of these blog posts how I
develop a character. This is usually
where I begin my process of research and study.
Depending on the novel and the topic, I might spend weeks, days, or
hours on a specific area.

For
example, I was writing about developing a Cassandra character for my newest
novel. I needed a private school in
France for my setting. I spent two days
of research for just such an academy. I
found one that was pretty close to what I wanted. Plus, I will note to you that I can take a
little more latitude with a French school than I can with a British or American
school. The reason is that most of my
readers are English speakers and live in English countries. If I take any liberties with British schools,
my readers might catch it. On the other
hand, few British or Americans will know enough about a French academy to
really complain. I will assure you, I
will make as few changes as possible to reality, but likewise, less information
is available about the object of my study.

This
is how authors are supposed to work and develop their worlds for their readers…and
there is still more to the supernatural.

About Me

L. D. Alford is a novelist whose writing explores with originality those cultures and societies we think we already know. His writing distinctively develops the connections between present events and history—he combines them with threads of reality that bring the past alive. L. D. Alford is familiar with technology and cultures—he is widely traveled and earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Pacific Lutheran University, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Dayton, and is a graduate of Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, and the USAF Test Pilot School. L. D. Alford is an author who combines intimate scientific and cultural knowledge into fiction worlds that breathe reality. He is the author of three historical fiction novels: Centurion, Aegypt, and The Second Mission, and three science fiction novels: The End of Honor, The Fox’s Honor, and A Season of Honor.